Computer and communication technologies continue to advance at a rapid pace. Indeed, computer and communication technologies are involved in many aspects of everyday life. Computers commonly used include everything from hand-held computing devices to large multi-processor computer systems.
Computers are used in almost all aspects of business, industry and academic endeavors. More and more homes are using computers as well. The pervasiveness of computers has been accelerated by the increased use of computer networks, including the Internet. On a network, one or more servers may provide data and services to other computers. The one or more servers may also be responsible for managing other computers. A computer network may include hundreds or even thousands of computers.
Most companies have one or more computer networks and also make extensive use of the Internet. The productivity of employees often requires human and computer interaction. Improvements in computers and software have been a force for bringing about great increases in business and industrial productivity.
As the use of computers has increased, so has the need to manage and update computers, especially in a controlled environment. Continual management of computers is one current challenge. For example, maintenance, monitoring and general life-cycle management become increasingly difficult as the number of devices on a network increases.